Several Charles Darwin University (CDU) VET coordinators and lecturers will be able to impart their new found knowledge after attending a two-day VET training forum held in Perth last month.
The forum, ‘Training Forum 2006 - Skilling for Work', was hosted by the Western Australian Department of Education and Training and held at the Burswood Convention Centre in Perth from 22 to 23 May.
The forum, opened by the WA Minister for Education and Training, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich, was attended by almost 900 delegates.
Susan Arnison, VET Leader from School of Law and Business, attended the weekend long forum and was grateful for the opportunity.
“The forum was a great opportunity to learn about current issues and ideas relevant in other states, particularly those in WA, which like the NT is rather isolated from the rest of the country and covers many remote area locations,” she said.
“Two of the sessions that particularly captured my interest related to the use of technology as a medium for both delivery and assessment of VET. I could see great potential in this idea, particularly in remote areas where internet access is not possible. I think the use of ‘pocket pc’s’ would definitely appeal to the students as well”.
Susan invites interested staff to contact her for further information about the forum and to obtain access to the various session notes and presentations.
The purpose of the forum was to provide professional development for practitioners, including trainers, teachers and assessors involved in the planning, provision, delivery and assessment of VET.
A range of speakers presented on a wide variety of VET topics, with the Pilbara Iron presentation, ‘The 64,000 square km Training Challenge’, proving particularly relevant to the NT situation in terms of the need for flexibility; entry points for non skilled workers from Indigenous communities; pathways for existing employees; and skill shortage response.